Dewalt Battery Adapter Review

Thankfully, upgrading a power tool isn’t as expensive as your smart phone

due to frequency, but oft times we aren’t quite ready to let go of the aging tools yet, despite the scarcity of the power pack, so the great news is that a DeWalt battery adapter is available!

Any tool junkie or DW fanboy should be excited over the Dewalt 18v to 20v adapter, since it is a very useful accessory for our cordless power tools. Model number DCA1820, it has the latest lithium ion battery technology and offers a wide range of compatibility for the DW lineup. Dewalt tools which require the 18v to 20v capacity work just splendidly with this battery adapter, and the limitations are relegated strictly to the XRP battery charger models.

The De Walt tools variety has up to approximately 40 tools which are 18v. You should be happy to know that this particular DeWalt battery adapter, just like James Bond in his natural element, can hook up with all of them.

Since the Dewalt battery adapter is 18v to 20v, it allows the user to vary the battery voltage. Not only does this make it useful with more tools, it also lets users adjust the optimum voltage required by each tool. As a result, even low voltage tools can be used with the maximum 20v batteries in order to achieve more powerful tools.

The DeWalt 18v to 20v Adapter comes with 6 battery options, which include:

3 Ah

1.5 Ah

2.0 Ah XR

3.0 Ah

4.0 Ah XR

5.0 Ah XR

You should note that the Bluetooth batteries 2.0 Ah and 4.0 Ah can also be used with Dewalt’s 18v tools, so this offers a little extra compatibility, as well. Just another reason to smile, because the reality is that your tooth won’t be blue at all—and neither will you!

Pros

The battery and charger don’t force you to buy individually or as a set—they can be purchased separately but can also be purchased as a kit.

The Dewalt battery adapter is variable so it can be used with a wide range of tools within the popular and highly-rated De Walt arsenal.

It allows use of up to 20V batteries, even when combined and used with DeWalt 18v tools.

A 3 year warranty is provided with a free service for 1 year after purchase. It is also readily available and value-priced at online shopping portals such as Amazon.

It is very light weight due to the design of the operating angle. You can get 20v power usage with 18v weight. Just imagine how jealous your friends will be. Your dog may not understand the value of this, but rest assured, your friends will.

Cons

The battery adapter cannot be used with 18V XRP battery charger. Yes, sadly, it’s true: not all things are perfect, not even the DeWalt power tool lineup.

The battery adapter doesn’t work with chargers of various previous models. This is, to us, a small but VERY important point to remember. It’s possible to place an order for one of this little gems and upon its arrival, realizing that it’s not compatible with the charger in-hand. A simple and quick check in the product specs will tell you quickly if this is truly the droid you seek.

A separate charger is required to work with this DeWalt 18v to 20v adapter. It seems like a no-brainer, but since there have been some people to order without looking (or thinking about it), it’s important to note that this is an ADAPTER ONLY, and not a charger itself. If you don’t have a working charger, then you’ll either need to buy one or permanently borrow one from your neighbor (we don’t recommend the fiver-finger discount).

It is not compatible with every DeWalt tool. Again, this may seem obvious—not to mention the fact that we already stated it above—but for those who may have missed it or have not retained the point, please be sure to check compatibility with your tools BEFORE placing an order. It will save you time and frustration, as well as possibly money.

Premium or high capacity batteries cannot be used with this adapter. As always, read the fine print. This battery adapter has a specific range of tools and batteries of which it is compatible with. This does not include the higher-capacity batteries, so keep that in mind when ordering.

Final Word

This is a very straight-forward product with a clear use: enable the use of both 18 and 20-volt batteries in older cordless DeWalt power tools. The only main questions are “How good is it? Is the cost fair?” and “How compatible is it with the various tools?” In short, we believe:

It’s darn good and worthy of the quality that DeWalt has built for their line of tools. Customers have purchased these by the droves and left hundreds, if not thousands, of near-perfect ratings.

The cost was a bit high until more recently, and the price has dropped dramatically. As of the writing of this article—September 1st, 2017—the adapter alone costs merely $35 online. That is an amazing value, considering how it has the power to bring our old tools back from an early grave.

The compatibility isn’t “perfect,” but then again, it’s hard to see how it could be. The focus of this particular adapter is to work with a particular set of cordless tools—the most popular ones. With that in mind, we have no beef about its compatibility and, given the new pricing structure, find that it is far more than a bargain.

Important Info

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